Stroll Nevsky Prospekt. The city's elegant main thoroughfare inspired writers such as realist Nikolai Gogol. But beware of pickpockets.

Get a bird's-eye view. The dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral (1 Ploshchad Isaakievskaya, 812-315-9732; cathedral.ru) offers the best panorama.

Pay homage to the Romanovs. Murdered in 1918, Nicholas II and his family were interred 80 years later in Peter and Paul Cathedral (Zaichy Ostrov) and named saints soon after.

Play czar for a day. Rococo Peterhof, chinoiserie Oranienbaum, and neoclassical Pavlovsk are among the must-see palaces. But don't miss Konstantinovsky in suburban Strelna: Ruined in World War II, it was restored in 2003 for nearly $300 million (3 Beryozovaya Alleya, 812-438-5360).

WHAT TO SEE

Academy of Fine Arts Museum,17 Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya, 812-213-6496: Absolutely enormous, with copies of ancient sculptures and intriguing reproductions of local landmarks as originally envisioned.

Memorial Museum of the Leningrad Blockade, 9 Solyanoy Pereulok, 812-279-3021; blokadamus.spb.ru: A solemn and moving remembrance of the 1941 Nazi invasion and the 600,000-plus local deaths that resulted.

The State Hermitage Museum, 34 Naberezhnaya Dvortsovaya, 812-710-9079; hermitage.ru: The ultimate museum—you could spend days here.

Yusupov Palace, 94 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-332-1991; yusupov-palace.ru: Splendor beyond measure in the former home of one of imperial Russia's wealthiest families—it's also where Rasputin spent his last hours.

Taleon Imperial Hotel,59 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-324-9911; taleonimperialhotel.com: The gawdy grandeur of this 1858 palace might not suit all tastes, but the luxury casino and Finnish, Russian, and Turkish sauna treatments are major draws.

Bukharin, 45 Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboedova, 812-571-2245: The name of this new restaurant and vodka shrine refers not so much to the ill-fated Bolshevik leader as to a Russian word for getting tanked. The rich menu helps stem the damage.

Chainaya Lozhka, 44 Nevsky Prospekt, 812-117-4657: The flagship of a budget cafeteria chain—fortunately in Russia, budget includes caviar. Blini with a dollop of red caviar is about $4.